A Hamburger Today

My first panwich of the weekend—actually, my first panwich ever—came from my friends, Kelly and Pete, who griddled them up for breakfast while we were camping in New Hampshire's White Mountains last weekend. The dish is just what it sounds like: a breakfast sandwich with pancakes functioning as the bread. Eggs and cheese make up the bulk of the filling, but breakfast meats like bacon and sausage are very appropriate. (Kelly's a vegetarian, so they skipped the pork and sliced up green apples and slathered on honey mustard instead—brilliant additions.) Maple syrup drizzled inside or over the whole package is a must.

My second panwich (embarrassingly, just a few hours later) came from Polly's Pancake Parlor, a breakfast institution in the scenic Sugar Hill section of the White Mountains where the lines are long and real maple syrup is a default on the table. The kitchen offers half a dozen pancakes, any of which you can turn into a Polly's Panwhich ($7.29; yes, that's Panwhich as listed on the menu). I went with buckwheat (Polly's grinds its own whole wheat, buckwheat, and cornmeal), which was nutty, rich, and pleasantly bitter—to me, the most underappreciated pancake base. (I'd argue it's a better match for maple syrup than plain or buttermilk pancakes.) Scrambled eggs worked well as a filler because the kitchen makes them super fluffy and sturdy, but they lacked salt big-time, and neither the cheddar nor the sausage patty I chose made up for it. Maybe next time I'll go for fried eggs.

All in all, it was a delicious package—not to mention a killer view while you wait.

About the author:Liz Bomze lives in Brookline, MA, and works as the Senior Features Editor for Cook's Illustrated Magazine. In her free time, she freelances regularly for the Boston Globe, Boston Magazine, the Improper Bostonian, and Martha's Vineyard Magazine; practices bread-baking and canning; takes photos; reads; and watches baseball. Top 5 foods: fresh noodles, gravlax, sour cherry pie, burrata, ma po tofu.

Printed from http://www.seriouseats.com/2013/09/the-panwhich-pancake-sandwich-pollys-pancake-parlor-sugar-hill-new-hampshire.html